A large section of people spared from power tariff hike, he says

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday maintained that his government had spared a large section of people from power tariff hike and accused the Opposition parties of taking up the cause of rich people.

As the Chief Minister interacted with the SC/ST beneficiaries at remote Venkateswara SC Colony at Moolakondapadu in Singarayakonda mandal, police took into preventive custody over 100 activists of the TDP led by its district president D. Janardhan protesting against power tariff hike and demanding the resignation of ‘tainted ministers’ in the wake of charge-sheets filed by the CBI in cases against YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.

''My government is not at all for burdening the common people. As many as 1.97 crore of the two crore households are spared from power tariff hike in the State,” he told an impressive gathering at Singarayakonda in Kondepi (SC reserved) Assembly constituency as part of the ''Indiramma Kalalu'' programme.

It was unfortunate that Opposition parties, including the TDP and even Communists, were agitating for the sake of three lakh rich households in the State at a time when the Congress government extended subsidies to the tune of over Rs. 30,000 crore to the SCS, STS and other weaker sections of people.

Cautioning the people not to be misled by ‘false promises’ being made by TDP chief N.Chandrababu Naidu during his padayatra, he said it was Mr Naidu who had ditched the people while in power.

One should read his book ‘Manasuloni Matta’ to understand that the TDP chief was totally against giving subsidies to people, he said.

Slideshow

Workers carryingout repairs to Visakhapatnam District Collector's Office, as it was damaged in Cyclone Hudhud in 2014 October. The majestic heritage building was designed and built by Dutch engineering company Gannon Dunkerly in 1865 and completed by 1914. Photos: C.V. Subrahmanyam